The following recommendations for School Sealant Programs provided by the CDC and ADA for practitioners in school-based programs are based on evidence:

Resin-based sealants are the first choice of material for dental sealants.

Seal pit-and-fissure tooth surfaces that are sound or have early decay, prioritizing first and second permanent molars.

Use visual assessment to differentiate surfaces with the earliest signs of tooth decay from more advanced lesions.

X-rays are not needed solely for sealant placement.

A toothbrush can be used to help clean the tooth surface before acid etching.

When resources allow, have an assistant help the dental professional place sealants.

Provide sealants to children even if follow-up examinations for every child cannot be guaranteed.

“Effect of dental sealants on bacteria levels in caries lesions” – Sealants reduced bacteria in carious lesions, though low levels of bacteria persist in some lesions. The findings do not support reported concerns about poorer outcomes associated with inadvertently sealing caries. Therefore, practitioners should not be reluctant to provide sealants—an intervention proven to be highly effective in preventing caries—because of concerns about inadvertently sealing over caries.

Nevada Oral Health Matters

Medicare, the health insurance for most older adults, does not cover basic dental care.

Left untreated, dental disease can lead to malnourishment, bacterial infections, required emergency surgery and even death.

Periodontal disease is associated with poor blood sugar control for those living with diabetes.

Oral diseases are progressive and cumulative and become more complex over time, and they are preventable.

Pediatric dental disease is five times more common than asthma.

In the US, 164 million work hours are lost each year due to dental disease, leading to decreased productivity.

Nearly half of all US adults have some form of periodontitis.

More than 500 medications negatively affect the oral cavity.

In the US, more than 42,000 cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed this year.

Tooth decay is an infectious chronic disease, which is also 100% preventable.